LaCroix resigns as Waltham chief following assault case sentencing

Thomas LaCroix resigned from his position of police chief Wednesday afternoon, shortly after he was sentenced to probation for assaulting his wife at their Maynard home last June.

By Eli Sherman

MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

By Eli Sherman

Posted Jul. 10, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 10, 2013 at 10:20 AM

By Eli Sherman

Posted Jul. 10, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 10, 2013 at 10:20 AM

» Social News

Thomas LaCroix resigned from his position of police chief Wednesday afternoon, shortly after he was sentenced to probation for assaulting his wife at their Maynard home last June.

Mayor Jeannette McCarthy had removed him as police chief earlier in the day, following the sentencing.

"[LaCroix] had an opportunity to be chief of police in Waltham. A jury conviction of two criminal charges against Mr. LaCroix ended that," McCarthy said, stopping short of saying she had fired him. "My interests are with the citizens of Waltham and the Waltham Police Department so now they can continue to do what they do well – serving the citizens of Waltham."

Concord District Court Judge Elizabeth Cremens’ sentence of 18 months probation was in between the length that the defense and prosecution had requested. LaCroix’s probation runs until December 2014.

A Concord District Court jury found LaCroix guilty on June 26 of two counts of assaulting his wife, but not guilty of the other five charges he faced.

While on probation, LaCroix can not carry a firearm and he cannot abuse his wife, Andrea LaCroix, who testified for the defense during the trial, according to the conditions. Cremens also ruled that Thomas LaCroix cannot have contact with the witnesses who testified against him, including Shannon Policano, his wife's friend, and Claire Coen, his wife's co-worker. LaCroix cannot go near Policano’s home, according to the conditions.

The prosecution also wanted LaCroix to attend a batterer’s program, which the defense fought hard against. Cremens ruled that LaCroix should go through an evaluation from a third-party doctor to determine if the batterer’s program is necessary.

Defense attorney Thomas Drechsler said he and LaCroix respect the decision of the court, calling it “reasonable and fair.”

“I’m pleased with the sentence,” Drechsler said. “Obviously you’d like to have a complete acquittal, but when you’re charged with that many charges of a serious nature and you end up with two misdemeanors, while I’m not minimizing it, I would say it’s certainly overall a positive outcome.”

The defense has filed for an appeal. Drechsler said he is going to be gathering documents but he is not sure if he’ll be representing LaCroix because he doesn’t usually handle appellate cases.

LaCroix declined to comment after the sentencing.

Keith MacPherson, who has been leading the department in LaCroix's place, will retain the title of acting police chief, McCarthy said. McCarthy declined to comment further about LaCroix's status as a city employee.

Waltham-based REACH Beyond Domestic Violence released a statement Wednesday about the case.

Page 2 of 2 - "Domestic violence cases are often complex, and many never make it to the point of arrest, prosecution and sentencing as happened in this case," the statement said. "Even for those that do, the sentencing is often not what it would have been had the assault taken place on a stranger in a public place rather than on an intimate partner behind closed doors. We wonder if the situation were different, would the consequences be harsher both in terms of sentencing and public opinion?

"We recognize that the actions of one man do not represent the Waltham Police Department as a whole, which has been a valued partner of REACH for more than three decades. We hope that victims of domestic violence here and anywhere are not hesitant to access the help they need. Resources and support are available, by calling REACH or an agency in your area."

LaCroix was charged with three counts of assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a bike rack), assault, and two counts of threatening to commit a crime.

The jury lowered the charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon to a straight assault and battery, a misdemeanor, and found him guilty of that charge. The jury also found him guilty of one of the other counts of assault and battery.

The jury found LaCroix not guilty on the other five charges, which included assault and battery of Policano.

The prosecution asked for LaCroix to have no contact with Maynard Detective Paul Maria, who was one of the officers who testified about arresting the chief and led the investigation. But Cremens ruled against the request because Maria is a detective in the town where LaCroix lives.

The prosecution also asked that LaCroix stay away from TJX, where his wife and Coen work, but the judge ruled against the request.

The mayor had previously placed LaCroix on administrative leave without pay following the conviction. Before that, the police chief had been on leave with pay since his arrest last year.

Following a firing, LaCroix's pension would be subject to a ruling made by the Retirement Board, Executive Director Joseph Juppé said after the conviction two weeks ago. LaCroix would have a hearing on his legal issues to determine whether he would collect his pension or not, according to Mass. General Law Chapter 32, Section 15.